Yekaterinburg, Russia + Sydney, Australia
It’s a Guest Googler episode, and Hannah Benitez is sitting in — she’s currently in Pippin at freeFall Theatre with Alison, but she’s also a phenomenal playwright! Check out her website here. She was recently featured by American Theatre magazine — you guys, she’s fancy.
After a very intense and serious conversation, Alison lightens the mood and names Golden Buzzer videos from America’s Got Talent as her obsession. They’re a true feel-good pleasure for her. Somehow, this leads into Lulu and Alison explaining Love Island to Hannah. Alison wonders if she could be undercover on the new American version of Love Island. Maybe we should do a letter-writing campaign to get her on the show! Hannah’s obsession is Dog Bar, a combination off-leash dog park and bar. And Lulu names nori seaweed sheets as her obsession, which is keeping her right on track with her keto life. Try these from Amazon if you’ve never had them!
Alison quite simply wishes she weren’t afraid to do a handstand, because the current choreography she’s learning is definitely out of her comfort zone. She’s been practicing and doing research, but she hasn’t been able to land it yet. Hannah made a full list: a home, a coop of chickens, a giant whiteboard, the game Cyberpunk 2077, a body pillow, and a home masseuse. Lulu’s wishlist? That she had a paper trail for apartment hunting — being an itinerant actor has its consequences, now that she’s realized she’s been out of the mainstream formal economy for a while. Woops. We’re sure it’ll all work out — right?
Hannah brings us to Yekaterinburg, Russia, home of the psychedelic salt mines and where the Romanovs spent their last days. She starts her 10k day off like a pro by paying a driver 500 bucks for the day. Her breakfast at Pashtet features quintessential Russian dishes. Breakfast is followed by a city tour, and then she goes on the hunt for a fantastic Russian coat, which Hannah describes in detail. The coat may only exist in her dreams, so we hope this hunt goes well. As Hannah says, “I want to feel like I’m on the runway, but also in Siberia.”
Lunch is at Schtolle, which is a Russian-Georgian restaurant. Lulu gets really excited about the prospect of eating dumplings, but Alison is not excited about the borscht. Fueled by this food, Hannah catches a matinee at the Kolyada Theatre and then hops on a “Last Days of the Romanovs” tour.
The highlight of her trip is going to be the psychedelic salt mine, which involves bribing someone to bring her there (it’s currently closed to the public). She celebrates her illegal activity by having dinner at Pelmeni Club.
Alison picked her place when Google autocompleted “Best place in the world to Pokemon Go” and Sydney popped up. She settles into this gorgeous Airbnb, which takes over HALF of her budget! She starts her day with breakfast on a touring cruise through Sydney Harbour, and then…
Alison gleefully goes to The Museum of Human Disease. Lulu immediately declares this a hard pass, but Alison is 100% in to this. Somehow, this museum makes her hungry so she goes to The Grand Pavilion, an Indian restaurant. She needs fuel for her next thing: a silent disco party. The party is on the street, so Alison is going to dance her way through the streets!
Dinner is at the beautiful Bennelong, and Alison gets the five-course tasting menu (with wine, of course). And since she’s already been to a silent party, she closes off her day by visiting a club and getting a VIP table. She holds court baller-style at Marquee Sydney. That’s 10k, peeps.
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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